


Aye, aye, Captain!

by ApolloFishes (WinterSabbath)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Angst, BAMF Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Bucky is Only Soft for Tony, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, M/M, Mutual Pining, Protective Bucky Barnes, but this time, it's a metal hook
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:41:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23155732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterSabbath/pseuds/ApolloFishes
Summary: Captain Bucky Barnes is one of the most fearsome pirates, feared by everyone, even his own crew. That was, until Tony Stark came along. Turns out, Bucky has a bit of a soft spot for him.Or 5 times Tony saved someone from Bucky’s wrath, and one time he didn’t.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 12
Kudos: 490





	Aye, aye, Captain!

The first time they met, Tony was crying by the docks with the wind bristling past his clothing and the light pitter-patter of raindrops mixing with his tears. He was underneath the sea-wall, letting the water splash against his shoes. No one could find him here. Supposedly.

Captain James Buchanan Barnes had leaned over the wall and peered at him, amusement gleaming in his eyes. “What’s the prince doing out ‘ere?”

Tony wiped his face and told him to get lost. Much to his dismay (though he would be far more thrilled about it later on), the Captain swung himself over the wall and found a place beside Tony. He introduced himself as Bucky, and, at Tony’s incredulous response, laughed. They spent a few hours talking. Tony had no idea what possessed him to spill the kingdom’s secrets to Bucky. His father’s abuse, his unwillingness to rule, the marriage he was being forced into—he told the pirate everything when he asked. It was as if there was something about Bucky that he just felt like he could trust.

(He was glad that impression didn’t stab him in the back).

According to Bucky, in later conversations, he had decided to approach Tony because he ‘hated Howard so much and the thought of corrupting his son appeased him’. Only for him to find out that Tony didn’t need much ‘corrupting’.

Hours into their first conversation, Bucky had taken a liking to the prince. When Steve, his first mate, found them, he extended an invitation for Tony to accompany him and travel across the seas. Tony could escape his father, his kingdom, his responsibilities, his title. He could be _free_.

When Tony had stepped onto the ship and was offered a bed in the crew’s deck, all he heard were whispers of the fear that Bucky incited. The idea felt out of place in Tony’s mind. After all, Bucky did spend a good amount of time laughing with him and comforting him.

After a few weeks, though, he realized that there was some inkling of truth to their whispers. But Bucky’s anger was never directed towards him. In fact, Bucky was _always_ sweet towards him.

Tony wasn’t exactly able to figure out _why_ just yet, but if he was the only person on this damned ship who could keep Bucky sated, then he was going to help the poor crew before Bucky killed everyone off. (Not that he would, Tony knew Bucky loved the crew despite his temperament).

\--- --- ---

_One._

When the boy—Peter—ran into Bucky and sent the soup flying everywhere, Tony winced from afar. Normally, Bucky would let it go after a stern talking to, but he wasn’t in the best of moods today. He woke up on the wrong side of the bed, both Tony and Steve agreed.

Tony watched Bucky clench his jaw, his only hand curling into a fist as he looked down at his stained clothing. “You need to learn to keep careful watch of where you’re headed, boy.”

Peter swallowed the lump in his throat, shrinking himself to appear less threatening somehow. “Aye, Captain, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

Bucky slammed his hook against the wall. “Does it look like I give a shit what you meant to do or not? Do you realize how difficult it is to wash off these stains. I just had this—”

“I’ll wash them for you, Buck, no need to attack the poor kid.” Tony walked up from behind Peter, his eyebrows raised. He frowned at Bucky’s clothes and sighed, looking at Peter. “Accidents happen, it’s alright. Not your fault Bucky’s being sensitive about it. Off you go.”

Peter scurried off, grateful to avoid any further anger from Bucky. Honestly, it was amazing how scared everyone was. When it was just Tony and Bucky alone at night, Bucky was all soft smiles and gentle words. The duality astounded him.

“You don’t need to wash them for me,” Bucky huffed out, still irritated, “It wasn’t your doing.”

“If anything, blame the floor, not the poor kid,” Tony said. He took the lapel of Bucky’s jacket and patted it. “You shouldn’t lead on fear, Buck.”

“They would think to betray me otherwise.”

Tony shook his head, “Not if they love you, they wouldn’t.”

Bucky sent him a sarcastic smile, pushing him away. “That’s just the problem, isn’t it?” he muttered, turning to walk the other way.

Tony blinked as he watched him go. Okay, so maybe this was more than just Bucky waking up on the wrong side of the bed. As he watched him go, Tony wondered if Bucky was lonelier than he let on.

_Two._

Bucky was resting his hand on the ship’s wheel as he looked at the stars that littered the night sky. His knuckles were turning white.

“I’m going to kill him,” he announced for the hundredth time.

“That’s going to be hard,” Tony chuckled dryly. This wasn’t the first time he’d told Bucky about Howard, but every time he did, Bucky’s reaction was always... well, murderous.

Bucky huffed. “He _hit_ you, Tony. That’s not... that’s just... it’s not right! You’re his son! He’s got no right to hit you just because you wanted to spend time with him. You were a kid, for fuck’s sake.”

Tony fiddled with his sleeve, not knowing what to say. He’s never really had anyone to talk to about this until Bucky. Most of the people he grew up with worshipped Howard to the bone. It was maddening. “It’s just the way he is, I guess.”

“Which is _exactly_ why I’m going to kill him,” Bucky told him, firmer this time. “ _No one_ deserves to be treated like they aren’t good enough. Especially not you.”

Tony was about to say something in the form of a protest, but there was a sudden movement in one of the crates that caused both of them to tense up.

“Did you sneak in animal I don’t know about?” Tony asked, frowning.

“That’s no animal.” Bucky drew his sword, pushing Tony behind him in a protective gesture. “Stay back.

“I have a weapon of my own, you know.” Tony had brought his sword with him when he first boarded Bucky’s ship. He _always_ had his sword with him. And he was very skilled at it, thank you very much. Though... maybe not as skilled as Bucky (he’s seen Bucky and Steve spar. He wasn’t keen on testing his skills against those two).

Bucky slowly walked over to the crate, nudged it a bit, then threw the lid open, his sword pointed straight inside. He sneered. “A stow-away.”

Tony raised an eyebrow and went to stand beside Bucky. Inside the crate, there was a man around his twenties shivering in the dark, dressed in rags, with his long hair messily falling to his face.

Bucky pushed his sword forward until it was touching the tip of the man’s chin. “How long have you been stealing my rations, hm? Sneaking around behind my back? On _my_ ship.”

The man’s eyes were wide. “I—I just arrived last night when you stopped by the Sherwood port. I—I swear!”

Bucky growled. “I ought to feed you to the sharks!” he tilted the man’s chin up and the action sliced the man’s skin, drawing blood.

Tony winced and placed an arm on Bucky’s wrist. “Hey, listen, he’s scared, Buck. He didn’t mean any harm. He just wanted to escape, find a safe place, isn’t that right?” he glanced at the man—who nodded. “Come on, you gave me a chance, offered me a place, why’s he so different?”

“For starters, I invited you,” Bucky pointed out, though his stance was beginning to waver, “ _He’s_ unwanted.”

“Then we drop him off at the next port,” Tony reasoned, putting Bucky’s arm down. He tried not to stare at the bleeding cut on the man’s face, “You don’t have to kill him.”

“He stole!”

“I haven’t!” the man exclaimed. “I swear, sir, I have not touched any of your food! I have not been able to leave this crate since I arrived.”

Bucky grit his teeth and let his hand drop to his side. He looked at Tony. “Fine. He can stay with us until the next port. But until then, he’s _your_ responsibility.”

“Aye, aye, cap!” Tony grinned. In an involuntary (completely voluntary, mind) motion, he threw his arms around Bucky and hugged him tight. “Thank you, Bucky.”

Bucky tensed in his arms until Tony let go, not once wrapping his own arms around Tony. Then he turned back to the wheel, his shoulders never relaxing.

_Three_.

They do drop the man off in the next port. Tony wanted to convince Bucky that this _wasn’t the place at all for a non-criminal_ , but Bucky had leveled him with a stare that spoke a million words, most of which were synonyms for _this is the most generous I’m going to get_. Sure, Tony could probably convince Bucky with a little more pestering, but he didn’t want to completely deny Bucky of his Captain responsibilities.

The reason why this particular port wasn’t the safest was because it was literally an island for criminals. The place was called Hell’s Island, and it pretty much was.

“This is where thieves and murderers roam free,” Bucky told Tony before they exited the ship. “Here, the crew gets a night off to be themselves without being surrounded by water.”

At the caring tone, Tony poked Bucky’s side. “Are you going soft on me, Barnes?”

Bucky cringed. “Don’t call me that, please.”

Tony frowned. He was about to ask why, but Bucky quickly looked away. That was a clear sign that he wasn’t supposed to ask questions.

He motioned toward the shore. “Shall we?”

As though thoroughly troubled, Bucky furrowed his eyebrows. “You... want to go with me?”

“I mean, yeah?” Tony looked at the shore then back at Bucky. He teased lightly, “Who else could give a better tour than the most feared pirate of the seven seas?”

Bucky cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes, of course. Most of the places to visit here are bars. There’s one or two libraries, maybe. And maybe a jewel store. Where do you want to go?”

“Bar it is!” Tony grinned.

Bucky nodded once more and helped Tony off the ship. The rest of the crew had already left a few minutes ago, agreeing to meet back onboard at midday tomorrow. It was times like this that Tony was reminded of how much Bucky actually cared about his crew despite his best efforts to look indifferent. There wasn’t really much talking involved as Bucky led him deep into the island. It was because of the silence that Tony found himself staring at Bucky for far longer than necessary.

He bit the inside of his cheek. This was _not_ the time. In fact, it was _never_ going to be the time. He berated himself for even _thinking_ about how beautiful Bucky was.

Just as Tony was shaking himself out of any fantasies that his mind might suddenly flood him with, he felt something move in his pocket and, in a split second, Bucky had someone pinned to a wall, his hook on the girl’s neck.

Tony blinked.

It was a little girl, no more than ten years of age. A little girl who had apparently taken some of the money Tony had kept in his pocket.

“Uh, Bucky?”

Bucky’s eyes were screaming rage. “Did your mother neglect to teach you any manners?”

“I shan’t be told not to steal by a filthy pirate!” the girl announced, trying to kick Bucky in the crotch (though her attempts were futile given how small she was).

“Oh, steal from anyone for all I care, but _he_ ,” Bucky jerked his head towards Tony, “Is off limits, you hear me?”

Tony sighed. “Buck, she’s just a little girl. She’s probably just hungry.”

“They should know not to steal from _you_ ,” Bucky hissed, though he began to draw his hook back, “They know not to steal from me.”

The girls eyes widened as she glanced between the pair of them. “Captain Barnes has a lover,” she whispered under her breath.

And then ran.

Bucky made no attempt to chase her, so Tony wasn’t all that worried. The girl’s parting words were another matter entirely, however.

“Lover?” Tony said softly.

Bucky shrugged. “Let the rumors be.” He continued their path towards the bar, more deliberately ignoring Tony’s presence.

Tony swallowed thickly. The words were on the tip of his tongue but he forced them down.

_What if I don’t want it to be a rumor?_

His thoughts were getting more desperate and less realistic by the moment.

_Four._

Why anyone thought it was a good idea to raid _Winter_ of all ships, Tony had no idea. That being said, when the enemy ship bumped into Bucky’s, well, the first thing Bucky did was drag Tony into his cabin and told him to stay put.

“Do not move an inch,” he warned before disappearing into the fight.

Naturally, Tony moved an inch. A lot of inches, in fact, that he was standing outside, holding his own against the invaders.

The fight didn’t last too long. Not against Bucky’s crew. Every member aboard _Winter_ was skilled with a sword, they wouldn’t die so easily.

It wasn’t until Bucky was lining up the captured foes one by one that Tony actually _recognized_ someone.

“Rhodey?” he exclaimed, shoving past the rest of his crewmates. He collided straight into his long lost best friend, frantically tugging at the rope as he tried to untie it.

Rhodey gaped at him. “Tones?”

“It’s me, it’s me,” Tony muttered under his breath, still trying to untie the endless fray of knots (dammit, Steve). “I’ve missed you so much. Where have you _been_?”

“Tony,” cleared Bucky’s voice as he stood next to Tony like a tiger getting ready to pounce, “You know ‘im?”

“I’ve known him since childhood before he disappeared!” Tony was still picking at the rope, though his movements slowed down as Bucky knelt beside him to help. Tony looked at his friend. “What happened to you? I thought you were _dead_. How are you a pirate?”

Rhodey shook his hands once they were free. “Honestly, Tones, I should be asking _you_ that question.”

Tony ignored him and turned to Bucky to implore, “Can we welcome him? Please, Bucky?”

Bucky huffed. “What do you think I untied ‘im for?”

Tony grinned and hugged Bucky like there was no tomorrow. He was well aware of the eyes that were boring into the both of them, but he was too overjoyed to care much. His childhood best friend was _alive_ , and Bucky had allowed him aboard the ship; in Tony’s mind, there wasn’t much more that he could want.

“The others will not be receiving the same treatment, though,” Bucky told him softly. Tony buried his face in Bucky’s chest and nodded understandingly.

“I’ll go get Rhodey settled.”

He wasn’t really a fan of watching people walk the plank and getting eaten by sharks.

_Five._

“Okay, so, he’s in a mood,” Tony admitted as he watched Bucky stomp around the main deck while barking orders at some of the crew. Beside Tony stood Steve and Sam, both looking skeptical. He added, “Doesn’t mean you should throw me towards him.”

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Steve said, patting his shoulder with _very_ little remorse. Why did Tony talk to these people?

Sam agreed with Steve. “You are the only one he won’t stab on sight. Get him into his cabin to calm down so that the crew could catch a break. He’s been shouting all day.”

“Why is he so mad?” Tony frowned. He wondered if it was because of Rhodey. Did Bucky feel like Tony was abusing his hospitality? Christ, he hoped that wasn’t the case. Sam and Steve shared one of those glances that were clearly not meant for Tony’s prying eyes. It was a glance that screamed _should we tell him?_

Pretending to be a part of this silent and _psychic_ conversation, Tony nodded animatedly. “Yes, you should, in fact, tell me.”

“Just... I’ll tell him you were looking for him in his cabin then the rest is up to you,” said Steve. Fucking pirates. These fuckers were leaving Tony to friend for himself! (Not that Tony was scared of Bucky. He knew Bucky wouldn’t yell at him, more so _harm_ him. But still, the general idea was feeding Tony to the sharks, given Bucky’s current state.)

“Fine,” he harrumphed, marching away while he still had some dignity left. If he stayed any longer, they might ask him to sing Bucky a ballad to soothe him. “If he’s not in there after five minutes, I’m leaving.”

Of course, Bucky opened his cabin door two minutes after Tony entered.

“You were looking for me?”

Tony shrugged, standing from the chair. “I wasn’t.”

Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed as he dropped his hat on his bed. _His, his, his_. Everything in here was his. What was Tony doing here again?

“So... why are you here?”

Tony thought about it for a moment. “Well, I kind of wanted to know why you seem... angry?” There. That wasn’t much of a lie.

Bucky plopped down on his bed. “’s nothing.”

Now _that_ was a lie. Tony crossed his arms as he leaned on the desk. “That’s bullshit and you know it.”

The guy had the nerve to laugh, looking at Tony with _those_ eyes. He leaned back on a pillow, the smile on his face forced to mask something else beneath—something that more closely pain. “You swear more than a pirate, y’know?”

“I know,” Tony agreed, “That doesn’t explain why you’re so mad. Unless you’re mad that I swear. I’m sure that’s not it.” He walked over to Bucky, his voice more hushed as he said, “Is it about Rhodey?”

“Yes,” Bucky said immediately. When Tony’s eyes widened, he shook his head fast. “Not in the way you think. It’s not that I’m mad that you invited him here. It’s... it’s just that...” he looked torn between spilling his heart out to Tony and bolting out the door and never showing his face to the world. In the end, he succumbed to dejection. “I told you, it’s nothing.”

“Since when did you keep secrets from me?” Tony mumbled. It was true. From the short time he’s known Bucky, Bucky had never shut him out much. There were times, he supposed, that a little bit of pain and loneliness swam in Bucky’s eyes, but he was quick to erase it that Tony sometimes regarded it as a trick of the light. He knew, though, that _something_ was bothering Bucky. It was just one thing, Tony was sure. And it was one thing that Bucky refused to tell Tony.

“If I told you, you’d wish that you never knew,” Bucky bit back. Tony recoiled a little at that. That was the most hostile Bucky ever was towards him.

“You don’t know that.”

“Oh, so you won’t hate me when I tell you that I wish I never met you?” Bucky snapped at him, pushing himself off the bed, his eyes burning with uncontained _rage_. “You won’t hate me for wishing that I should’ve left you in the docks that night I met you? You won’t hate me for wanting to be Rhodey when you would so freely lie next to him and hug him as you both talked? You won’t hate me for wanting to be with you? You won’t hate me for wishing that _you were never in my life so I didn’t spend every hour of my life wishing that I could fucking kiss you?_ ” ” he grabbed Tony’s shoulders, practically shaking him. “Because you will! You do!”

“You’re wrong,” Tony said after a moment, his hand coming to rest on Bucky’s cheek, “I don’t hate you. I could never hate you. Have you ever, for a single _fucking_ moment, stopped to wonder what _I_ was feeling?”

Bucky pulled away. “I don’t need to wonder. I know.”

Tony grabbed his arm and, without giving his brain any _time_ to hesitate, he dragged Bucky forward and kissed him.

Time seemed to stop for that brief moment, the feeling of the boat rocking underneath faded into the distance and all Tony could feel was _Bucky_. Through Bucky’s trembling hands on the back of Tony’s neck, Tony could feel the hopelessness turn to joy as though a sinking ship had managed to find its way back home before it was given the chance to fully drown.

Neither one of them showed any willingness to let go. It was as if they were there for hours before Tony was pulling away, his hand coming up to stroke Bucky’s red lips. “What you don’t know, darling, is that you don’t get to choose how someone feels for you.”

Bucky was smiling like he had found an island built with gold. “I’ve never been happier to be wrong.”

Unwilling to waste more time, they collided once again.

_+one._

Tony woke up to the incessant abuse and shouts that Sam was directing towards the door. He was, he found, lying on Bucky’s bare chest, Bucky’s finger threading through his hair. Blearily, he yawned and looked at his lover. _Lover_. This was his _lover_ now. Tony grinned at the thought. “What’s going on?” he hummed.

Bucky grumbled, slowly moving Tony away (he did so very reluctantly). He opened the door to a grinning Sam Wilson. “What do you want?”

Sam jerked a thumb to no particular direction. “We spotted a royal ship, figured you wanted to raid it.”

The word _royal_ had Tony rising out of bed as fast as he could manage. To preserve some of that dignity he was so adamant on still having, he threw on a shirt before facing Sam (Something that Bucky had neglected to do. He didn’t really seem bothered by it, though).

“What’s the emblem on the ship?” he asked.

Sam winced. “It’s yours. The dragon’s insignia is unmistakable.”

Bucky looked troubled. “We can leave it alone, if you want...”

“What? No, fuck no.” Where was all the pirate spirit when he wanted it present? “This is the biggest fuck you I can give to Howard.”

“If you’re certain.” Bucky gave him an assessing glance before turning back to Sam. “Tell Steve to get the crew ready. How far is the ship?”

“Last I checked, they were approaching us as well, so they’re probably close by now.”

“Perfect,” grinned Bucky, and all Tony could see was the feared pirate everyone talked about. The royal ship was so _fucked_ and Tony couldn’t wait to watch. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

When Bucky shut the door, he immediately took Tony’s hand in his. “If he’s in there, doll... I can’t promise that I won’t—”

“I know.” Tony swallowed. “I’m not so sure I’d stop you either.”

Bucky nodded. “Glad we agree. Let’s go.”

The fight turned out to be harder than the one with the previous ship that had tried to attack _Winter_. Then again, Tony wasn’t sure what he was expecting. These were trained royal navy members, after all.

Them recognizing him, though... he should’ve seen that coming, really, but he didn’t.

“Prince Anthony?” a sailor said in awe, eyes widening.

Tony stabbed him in the gut.

“They’ve taken the prince captive!” another one declared.

That sent everyone into a frenzy. It was that particular distraction that helped the crew of _Winter_ ultimately win the battle. Barely any enemy was left alive in the bloodbath. The most injured of Bucky’s crew had a wound on his shoulder, but at least everyone on their side was alive.

Bucky was smiling maniacally. He motioned towards the ship. “Raid it. Find anyone who might be hiding. If it’s the King, I want him brought to me.” Of course, he couldn’t be _certain_ that Howard was aboard the ship, but Tony knew that if Howard was to die, Bucky would make sure that it was on _his_ terms.

As the plank was lowered to create a bridge between the two ships, Bucky reached his arm toward Tony. “Well, come on, then.”

Now _this_ was in the true pirate’s spirit.

Tony crossed over to the royal ship, not feeling even an ounce of nostalgia or longing as he stood there on the platform as a pirate instead of a prince. He was happier now and he knew it.

“Captain,” said Clint Barton. Between him and Steve, a familiar man was struggling to break free of their holds. “We found _His Majesty_ ,” he said mockingly. No pirate respected any royal, especially not this particular one.

Howard Stark was bruised and bleeding, his nose crooked (Tony was 99% sure that was thanks to Steve). Tony and Bucky shared a look before Tony turned to his former father, former King, former _family_. “Hello, Howard.”

“I don’t know how that pirate’s corrupted you, son,” Howard spat, defiantly eyeing Tony despite his current predicament, “but when I get my hands on you, I’m going to make sure you’ll regret it.”

Before Tony could display any wit, Bucky was stepping forward with his sword in hand. “You won’t _ever_ lay a hand on him ever again. You know why?” Bucky smirked, his sword coming in contact with Howard’s neck. “Because you’re going to die. But first, I’m going to make you suffer.”

Howard’s eyes refused to leave Tony. “Can’t even fight your own battles now, boy?”

“I can,” Tony told him, “But I’m afraid I’ll be too merciful. And mercy, father, is a fate unbefitting for a man as cold as you.”

Tony tucked his sword back in its sheath and looked at his lover. “I’ll wait for you in our room.” He wasn’t going to stop Bucky from whatever punishment he was planning to dole out, but he wasn’t about to let himself watch Howard be tortured. At the end of the day, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to handle the sight of... whatever it was that Bucky was going to do.

“Tony,” Bucky called out before Tony reached their ship.

“Yeah?”

He smiled softly. “I love you.”

Tony’s heart stuttered a bit, but any surprise was quick to be erased. “I love you too.”

Then, as Bucky turned back to Howard, the smile on his face went from tender and loving to terrifyingly murderous.

And if Tony was secretly satisfied by the screams coming from his former abuser as his lover brought him to justice? Well, he wasn’t going to feel any guilt over that.


End file.
